


I'm Ready to Fall, Love

by Bearandleonardwrite



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom Harry, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Harry's a prince, I Don't Even Know, Louis' a stable boy, M/M, Rimming, Royalty, Snowballing, Top Louis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-20 01:37:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2410253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bearandleonardwrite/pseuds/Bearandleonardwrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis doesn't like Harry, except for the fact that he really does.</p><p>(Basically: A royal AU with Prince Harry and Stable Boy Louis.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Ready to Fall, Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iwillpaintasongforlou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwillpaintasongforlou/gifts).



> I hope it's not shit and that you love it!  
> Thank you, Leslie, for helping me with this.  
> And Simmie, of course. :*

Louis’ sitting at his usual table, in his favorite tavern, listening to Niall ramble about something useless, when Liam walks over to them, his brows furrowed. Niall keeps talking, probably still waxing poetic about Zayn’s cheekbones, as Liam stops in front of them. He’s waiting for Niall to finish talking, which will probably be some time next month, so Louis interrupts for him, “What’s wrong, Liam? You look concerned.”

Liam hesitates for a moment, wringing his hands together and looking more distraught, before finally he starts, “Well, I have to talk to you guys about something. It’s not really _bad_ , it’s just, uhm, unpleasant.”

Louis raises his eyebrows and Niall falls silent, focusing his attention on Liam. “Well, out with it, then.” 

“Okay, this isn’t coming from me, right? Just remember that. Basically, I’m supposed to tell you guys that your work has been seriously slacking and if you don’t fix it and do better you’ll both be fired.” Liam says it all so fast it’s hard to catch everything, but Louis gets the gist. And he’s definitely not happy about it.

“What the fuck, mate? If they don’t like it, then why don’t they do it themselves? They don’t even do anything but sit around and look pretty. If it’s that big of a deal, then they should just get off their lazy arses and do something.” Louis’ pretty sure he’s ranting. He’s also pretty sure he doesn’t care. “I told you, Niall. You have to get your head out of your arse and start doing your work. Your infatuation with Zayn is _not_ more important than my job. I can’t just keep doing the work of two men. I’m only one man, unfortunately.”

Niall squawks into his beer indignantly, “Well, it’s not my fault! If Zayn would just stop hanging around I wouldn’t have a problem. You know that! I can’t help it! He’s just so pretty.” Now Niall’s got some wistful look on his face, and Louis knows there’s no point in continuing the conversation with him. 

“Why didn’t they tell me themselves? Are they too afraid to do it? Or could they not be bothered with some actual work? I swear the nobles can’t do anything but sit around and give orders.” 

Liam worries his bottom lip between his teeth and lets out a sigh. “I don’t think that’s it, Lou. Y’know, they do things. They’re busy. I just have a higher position than you do, so I gotta give you the bad news.”

Louis scoffs and says sarcastically, “Yeah, okay. Whatever makes you feel better about it, Liam. You should just realize that they don’t do shit except sit and look pretty and find a fair maiden to marry. It’s ridiculous.” He rolls his eyes and goes back to his beer.  
***  
Harry isn’t really sure _why_ he came to this tavern; it’s not like he doesn’t have ample supply of liquor at the castle. Zayn had insisted they come out tonight, “Come on ‘Arry, it’ll be fun,” he said. So Harry listened to him, because that’s what he does; he listens. He listens to his father, he listens to the council, he listens to his people, and of course he listens to his best friend. 'Fun' is decidedly not the word Harry would use to describe this night.

As soon as they enter the tavern, Zayn walks them over to a table in the corner. He gestures at the barkeep and a few moments later they’re each brought a pint. Harry thanks the barmaid before she leaves and takes a sip. 

"This is great, innit? Just being able t' get away from the castle." Zayn says as he takes a big gulp. 

Harry hums around the rim of his glass and places it on the table. "Yeah, 's alright. Just different to be out and about." 

Zayn nods his head like he understands, but he doesn't really; he never could. Zayn’s a duke from the next town over and he’s rarely recognized. To most people, he just looks like another person, perhaps a noble if they look hard enough, but most don’t. He tends to dress like a commoner; says the clothes are more comfortable or something.

Harry wouldn’t know, wishes he had that option; this is the first time he’s dressed in commoner’s clothing, and it was only because he needed to disguise himself in order to get out of the castle. He's always done what he's told, been what everyone wants and expects him to be, and never gotten anything in return. There's so many things people expect from him because he's the prince, and he's okay with it, really, but sometimes he just wishes he had something that was his. Actually, he wishes he had _someone_ that was his. 

It's been exceptionally difficult for him to make friends. His whole life he's had to determine whether or not someone's intentions were true, or if they were just interested in him because he's the prince. 

The only friend he's ever truly had is Zayn. He loves Zayn, he really does, but sometimes he's incredibly lonely. There's only so many things Harry can get from Zayn, and he doesn't just mean sex. He wants that connection with someone, to have someone that's his and to be someone else's. 

Harry wants to be more than a prince. He wants to have more than a kingdom that isn't even his. That's part of the reason he agreed to come out with Zayn tonight; to try and find someone that would like him for who he is inside, not for what he has. 

Harry's snapped out of his wallowing by a beautiful voice. A beautiful voice that he automatically attaches to none other than Louis Tomlinson, one of his stable boys that he is very much infatuated with. He focuses his attention on the table the sound is coming from and he's sure he's got stars in his eyes from just looking at Louis. 

Except when the words finally register in his brain, he instantly wants to be anywhere but here. Louis' talking about _him._ But more importantly, he's talking negatively about him. Harry can hear Louis rambling about how awful nobles are, how lazy and self-centered they are. 

That kind of hurts. Harry doesn't particularly think he's lazy or self-centered. He's not the type to do things for himself, always puts the people of his kingdom first. And it’s not like he couldn’t do the work, that’s just their job, right? He doesn’t think he’s done anything wrong, so he shouldn’t be upset. It’s just that, _Louis_ is saying these things and _Louis_ is upset with him and he’s sort of been infatuated with him since he first saw him. 

It’s probably wrong that Harry keeps listening to their conversation, but he wants to help, now. He doesn’t want anyone to be upset with him, especially not Louis, and if theres anything he can do to fix it, he will. That’s why he keeps listening, he rationalizes, if he can figure out what specifically is bothering Louis, then he can fix it and Louis will like him. It’s a foolproof plan, basically.

Now, Louis’ complaining about the quality of the blankets they’re given for use in the servant’s quarters. “Don’t you remember I was ill for nearly 2 months last winter, had that awful and cough and couldn’t breathe properly? I’m nearly certain it was because the blankets are so thin. See? They don’t actually care about us, Liam, you can take that thought and shove it up your arse.” 

Harry’s really excited because that’s definitely something he can fix. He stands up so abruptly that the chair scratches against the wood floors and all eyes are on him. Cursing under his breath, he keeps his eyes downcast and grabs Zayn’s bicep, effectively pulling him out of the tavern behind him. 

When they get outside, and Harry’s determined no one saw them, Harry turns to Zayn, only to be met with a very confused look and, “What the hell was that?” 

Harry blushes a bit and looks at the ground and mumbles under his breath, “I might have overreacted a smidge, but it’s important, promise. I just can’t tell you right now, ‘cause they could hear me.”

Zayn makes an annoyed sound but otherwise doesn’t say anything. They remain silent on their walk back to the castle and head up to Harry’s room. Once the doors shut behind them, Zayn flops down onto his back, successfully taking up the majority of Harry’s bed. “So, you gonna tell me what that was for, now?”

Harry sits in the large arm chair that’s across from his bed and stares at Zayn for a moment. Zayn rolls his head to the side, now looking at Harry, and raises his eyebrows in impatience. Finally, Harry sighs and says, "Louis doesn't like me. I think he hates me actually."

"That's why you made me leave? Because one person doesn't like you?"

"No, Zee, it's not 'just one person," he says, mocking Zayn's accent. "It's _Louis_. And he doesn't dislike me, he hates me." 

Zayn scoffs and puts his hands up in defense, sarcastically saying, "Oh, right, excuse me." Harry fixes him with a look so he rolls his eyes and continues. “Okay, Harry, I’ll play along. Why is it such a big deal that Louis dislikes you? Nearly every other person you meet is in love with you; all of your subjects, all of the nobles, every maiden in this land and the next wants to marry you. I don’t really see the problem here.”

Harry sighs, extremely put upon, “The problem is that it’s Louis. Y’know, the stable boy? I’ve told you about him multiple times.”

“Ah, the cute little one, yeah? Brown hair, blue eyes, pretty short, hangs out with that Irish lad?”

“Yes, Zayn, that is Louis. He’s not little, though, he’s manly and rugged.” Harry’s probably being petulant, but he can’t help it. For some reason, he feels like he has to defend Louis’ honor. “That’s not the point. The point, Zayn, is that he doesn’t like me and I have to fix that.” 

“Why doesn’t he like you?”

“I heard him talking to one of his mates and he thinks I’m lazy and self-centered. He doesn’t think I do enough around the castle.” 

“You’re the prince, though. Why should you have to do things?”

“Well, true, but you do things. Why can’t I? I just think if I helped out around here, maybe he’d like me a bit more.” Harry looks down at his hands, sheepish suddenly, “I really like him, Zee, I don’t know why, but I do. Can you help me?”

Zayn sighs but nods his head the best he can in his position. “Yeah, Harry, I’ll help you. Do you got a plan, or you just gonna figure it out as you go?”

Harry’s excited now and he perks up visibly; his plan is great. “So, like, when we were at the tavern I heard him talking to the blonde one, Niall I think, about how awful the blankets in the servants quarters are. That’s the first thing I’m going to do, replace their blankets. And then, well I figured Niall’s his best friend, right? So, if I, like, maybe hang out around them a bit, I can listen to what they’re talking about and figure out what else needs to be fixed.”

Zayn sits up at that and looks at Harry confused, “You want to eavesdrop on their conversations? Isn’t that a bit, I don’t know, rude? It’s kind of an invasion of privacy. C’mon, Harry, you’re not like that. Why do you want to become someone you’re not?”

His plan is shit. “Oh, I didn’t really think about it like that,” Harry mumbles sadly. He’s got his bottom lip drawn between his teeth in worry and he looks genuinely upset. Zayn doesn’t like it.

“Okay, why don’t you do something else? I still think you should replace the blankets, that’s a necessity, regardless of how you found out about it. However, do not go and listen to their conversations again, you understand?” Harry looks very much like a scolded puppy, so Zayn figures it’s safe to move on. 

“Now, I have a plan that I think is a bit better, and probably easier. Instead of listening to their issues, why don’t you just talk to Liam. He’s your manservant, yeah? So, why don’t you have him see what’s going on in stables, what needs to be fixed, what isn’t being attended to, who needs more help, and all that. That way, you’re not doing something morally wrong, but you get the same result. You fix this terrible shit for Louis and the other lads down there, Louis ends up liking you, just like everyone else, and you fall in love, get married, and ride off into the sunset. I’m brilliant.” 

Zayn claps his hand when he finishes, startling Harry into speaking, “Yes, that’s a good idea, Zee. I knew you could help me.” He then proceeds to launch himself at Zayn, effectively knocking him onto his back and cuddling under Zayn’s arm. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.” 

Zayn kisses Harry’s curls and tightens his arm around him, pets at his bicep, “Of course, babes. Whatever I can do, you know that.” Harry hums and Zayn feels him kiss his shoulder before his breaths even out and he falls asleep. 

***  
The first thing Harry does after he’s had breakfast the following morning is send for Liam. He’s sitting in his arm chair, legs crossed and reading a book, when Liam knocks on the door and pokes his head in, “You sent for me, Sir?”

Harry nods and motions him in as he sets his book down, “Yes, Liam, please come in and close the door behind you.” He waits until Liam’s obeyed and is standing in front of him before continuing, “I need your help with something, Liam. This will branch out from your typical duties, so if you don’t want the extra work, let me know and I can find someone else for this.”

Liam clasps his hands behind his back and nods, flashes a smile before saying, “Anything, sir.”

“Basically, it’s come to my attention that things have been lacking in the service areas, particularly the stables."

Before Harry can continue, Liam interrupts, "Yes sir, and I've already spoken with those two men, like Lord Zayn had asked. Everything's been sorted." 

Harry quirks an eyebrow at Liam and clears his throat, "Uhm, yes, thank you. But, that's not what I meant. I meant, the servants quarters and the workload these men have to deal with being too much. So, what I need you to do is find out what these shortcomings are and report back to me. Can you do that?" 

"Yes sir, of course I can do that." Liam says as he nods. 

Harry smiles at him, "Good, that's good. The first thing I'm going to need you to do is have the blankets replaced. They need to be better quality, warmer. Warm enough to withstand our harsh winters."

"Yes sir. That's not a problem. I will see that it's taken care of." Liam says before he turns and walks towards the door. 

Before Liam can exit, Harry stops him by saying, "Liam, this has to be discreet. You cannot tell anyone about what you're doing for me. This has to stay between me and you. If anyone finds out about this, Liam, you'll be taken off the job and it will be reassigned. I expect updates at least once a week. Is that understood?" 

Liam nods once in understanding, says firmly, "yes, sir," and goes out the door, shutting it softly behind him. 

***

Of course the next time Harry agrees to go out with Zayn it’s pouring rain and their carriage gets stuck in the mud. Harry’s fairly certain he’s not agreeing to go out with Zayn again; it doesn’t ever seem to end well. 

“We’re not really that far from the castle. We could walk,” Zayn says reasonably, like it’s not at least 5 kilometers back to the palace, like it’s not pouring rain. 

Harry grumbles, but agrees. He’d much rather walk in this awful weather than have to sleep overnight in the carriage. They unhook the horses from the carriage and make their way back to the castle. 

When they arrive back to the palace, Harry and Zayn hand their horses off to one of the guards and send for Liam before retreating up the stairs towards their rooms. "'M gonna bathe. That walk was awful. See you tomorrow, mate," Zayn says as he walks into his room. 

Harry rolls his eyes at Zayn's back, but doesn't say anything; of course the walk was awful. He's never going out with Zayn again. Clearly, he has silly ideas. 

Harry changes into his sleep clothes before there's a knock on his door and Liam's standing before him. "You wanted to see me, sir?" Liam says sleepily, obviously having been woken up at Harry's request. 

"Yes, thank you. Lord Zayn and I were out just a bit ago and our carriage got stuck about 5 kilometers south of here. If you could make sure that it's brought back and cleaned, that would be great. Also, both of our horses need to be bathed and fed before the stable boys turn in for the night."

"Is that all, sir?" 

"Yes, that would be all. Thank you, Liam." 

"Of course," Liam says as he exits the room. Harry gets into bed and falls asleep shortly after. He can't really be bothered with bathing right after having to walk that much. Surely it can wait. 

Harry's woken up the next morning by Zayn throwing pieces of bread at his face. He mumbles something that supposed to be English, but is decidedly not, and buries his head under the pillow. "Go away," he whines. 

"Well I could, but I thought you'd be more interested in what Liam has to say," Zayn says while still throwing bread at Harry's body. If Harry wasn't a believer of peace, he'd probably kill him.

"What did he say?" 

"I dunno. Wouldn't tell me anything. He was just asking for you, though, and I don't think he'd do that unless it was important. Get your lazy arse out of bed, clean yourself--you smell, did you know? And go find Liam. It's nearly lunch time, Haz, get up." With that, Zayn pulls the blankets off of Harry, effectively irritating him enough to get up. 

Begrudgingly, Harry does as he’s told. He bathes quickly (he does, indeed, smell), gets himself something to eat, and makes his way through the halls in search of Liam. He finally finds him talking to the guard Harry and Zayn had left their horses with last night. Not wanting to impose, Harry waits until Liam finishes his conversation and looks over to him before signaling him over. 

“Zayn said you were asking after me,” Harry starts, not willing to wait. 

Liam nods, “Yes, I have some information for you. About what you asked me to do for you the other night, sir?” 

“Yes, I remember. What is it?”

“Uhm, actually, I don’t think you’ll be pleased. I don’t really know if you want to hear it.” Liam says hesitantly, drawing his bottom lip between his teeth. 

“Liam, it’s alright. I’m aware that not everything you tell me will be pleasant, but I think I need to know. If you’re not up to it, I can find someone else. It’s really alright,” Harry says trying to be gentle. 

“Well, the thing is, sir. Some of the stable boys were rather, uhm how should I put this? Upset with you and Lord Zayn because of the state the horses were in. Not to mention the carriage. I think that’s what they were most upset about.” By now, Liam’s talking so quick and quiet that Harry has to strain to hear. 

“Alright, thank you, Liam. I appreciate you doing this for me. I’ll make sure this is all taken care of. Remember, this stays between you and I, alright?” Liam nods dutifully, mumbles out a “yes, sir,” and heads back to work. Now all Harry has to do is figure out how to fix this. Great. 

***

Harry’s hit with a stroke of genius later that same day. He’s walking past the stables and just so happens to see the carriage parked just outside, still covered in mud. In the daylight, Harry can see just how dirty the carriage is and he’s really not surprised that the stable boys are upset. There’s so much mud dried onto it that’s it’s almost impossible to see what colour the carriage is actually supposed to be and he’s fairly certain one of the wheels are broken. 

While Harry’s standing there staring at the carriage, he sees Louis moving around his peripheral. And Louis is just so beautiful, that the carriage is completely forgotten. That is until Louis shoots him a dirty look, and points at the carriage with one eyebrow raised. 

That’s when he gets his brilliant idea.(which, really, Louis probably gave him the idea, but. Detials.) Harry’s going to clean the carriage. It’s such a brilliant idea because it’s so unexpected for him to do things, especially things as mundane as that, and Louis definitely doesn’t want to it. So, not only is he proving he can do things, he’s also help lessening Louis’ workload. He’s a genius. 

Harry ropes Zayn into helping him; which means he begged until Zayn couldn’t say no anymore and promised he’d go out with him again. The two of them fill up a bucket with water and soap and grab a couple of old rags before making their way out to the stables. 

It starts out simple enough, just tedious really. They make quick work of getting most of the mud off, but it’s when they have to start scraping at it that it becomes a problem. Zayn is probably the least patient person ever, so he eventually gets irritated and walks off, mumbling something about Harry being insane. 

Harry, however, is nothing if not determined. He’s not sure how much time has passed, maybe a couple hours, and he’s completely soaked; he may or may not have had an incident with tripping while carrying the bucket of water. The way he sees it, though, is that it’s only a few hours out of his life for the benefit of the rest of it. 

He’s on his back halfway under the carriage working on the underside when he feels somebody kick at his boot. Slowly, and a bit awkwardly, he makes his way out from underneath the carriage and looks up only to be met with the beauty that is Louis. 

“What’s this, then? The princess finally decided to get his hands dirty?” Even when he’s mocking Harry, Louis sounds like an angel. 

Harry very much does not blush at being called princess and he most definitely is not getting a bit flustered from their close proximity. “Uhm, yeah. I thought you guys could use some extra help, y’know?” 

Louis doesn’t look impressed. Like, at all. He’s got one of his hips cocked, hand on his waist, and his eyebrow is raised. “Ah, thought you’d do a bit of charity, then? Nah, princess that’s okay. We don’t need your pity.” 

By the time Harry’s thought of something to say, Louis’ long gone. Harry is decidedly not a genius. 

***

Harry is not a quitter. Liam has said multiple times over the past few weeks that the stable boys are having a really hard time keeping up with grooming the horses. The royal family does tend to have a lot of horses, Gemma is particularly fond of them, and Zayn usually keeps one or two around since he’s at the castle so often. 

So, Harry figures his best bet to get on Louis’ good side is to take over some of the grooming himself. He absolutely loves horses, all animals really, and doesn’t think it would be too hard to do. 

Nearly a week after he’s started grooming his own horse, Louis strikes up conversation with him. He’s brushing his favorite horse and humming softly to himself, lost in his own little world. 

"What're you doing, princess?" Louis says, startling Harry and causing him to drop his brush. 

Harry mutters a curse under his breath and picks the brush up before turning to Louis, his cheeks rosy from embarrassment. "Uhm, I'm just brushing Sasha," he says sheepishly at he pets at her mane. He focuses on the softness of her white hair so he doesn't have to look at Louis, even though he can feel his eyes on him. 

Louis clears his throat and can feel Louis' breath on his neck as he walks up behind him. Instead of doing something Harry wants, like neck kisses or whispering in his ear, Louis plucks the brush out of his hand and nudges him out of the way.

"Not really necessary, princess. You can go do whatever it is you nobles do; this is my job. Wouldn't want you to get your pretty self dirty," he says as he picks up where Harry left off. 

Harry's staring at Louis, not really sure what to do. It's not like he was trying to interfere with Louis' job; he was just trying to help. Surely, Louis knows that. (Also, did Louis just call him pretty? Harry doesn't quite know what to do with himself.)

It's made apparent that he doesn't know that because the next thing he says is, "Why are you still here? Trying to take over my job, princess? Wanna give it to someone else?" And he says it with utter contempt, like he thinks Harry's not smart enough to do his job, like he's too lazy to find someone else. 

"That's not what I was doing at all," Harry says reasonably. "I was just trying to--"

He's cut off by Louis, now suddenly angry and right in front of him. "I _know_ what you were trying to do, princess, Liam told me."

Now Harry's confused. He's pretty sure Zayn's the only person that knows what he's doing, and if this is how Louis is reacting to it, it's a problem. "How does Liam know? Why would Liam tell you?" 

"How does Liam know?" He starts, dropping the pitch of his voice to mimic Harry better. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you're the one who told him to spy on me? Jesus, fuck, if you were that unhappy with my service, why didn't you just send me home? Why is it necessary to stalk me?"

"What? That's not what I was doing. Louis, you have to believe me, I'm not unhappy with your work. That's not what. I don't--"

"I don't really want to hear it, princess. You can leave now. I'm sure you've got thousands of maidens to court." Louis turns away from him and goes back to brushing Sasha. Obviously this conversation is over. 

Harry all but runs back to the castle and up to Zayn's room, slamming the door once he gets inside. Zayn's sprawled out on his back looking up at the ceiling, but startles when he hears the door slam. 

As soon as Zayn looks over to Harry, he can see the distress written all over his best friends face. "What's happened Harry?" He asks as he sits up. 

"He hates me, Zayn. I don't know what to do anymore," Harry says and all but collapses next to Zayn, immediately burying his face in Zayn's shoulder. 

Zayn rubs his back and plays with his curls, making sure to keep his tone gentle, "What happened? I'm sure he doesn't hate you, babes. Who could hate you?"

"Louis, apparently. Liam told him what I had him do, and now he thinks I'm stalking him." 

"Well, you are kind of stalking him."

"Shut up, Zayn. I'm doing it because I want him to like me. He thinks I'm doing it to get rid of him and hire someone new. That's wasn't the point," Harry mumbles into Zayn's shoulder. "That's not even the worst part." 

"What's the worst part, then?" Zayn asks, combing his fingers through Harry's curls. 

"He thinks I'm straight," Harry whines. "He told me to court a fair maiden, or something. I thought it was obvious that I'm not interested in that. I just want him." 

Zayn can't stifle his giggles any longer and ends up laughing so hard he dislodges Harry. Harry sprawls out on his back and pushes at Zayn until he falls over too, mumbles out a "stop laughing at me." 

"I'm sorry, babes. You just sound so petulant, like a child," Zayn says through his giggles. "If you like him that much, just talk to him. Do something. You can just sit here and wallow, Harry." 

"I think I've just messed everything up. He thinks I'm a stalker. And he thinks I like ladies. This is the worst." Harry turns his face into the bed sheets and let's out a pitiful whine. Zayn's still laughing, but he pulls him into his chest and cuddles him. 

***

Liam's rushing through the halls and down the steps of the castle looking for Louis. He has to find Louis quickly so he can talk to him before he forgets everything he’s just heard. As he’s walking out of the castle, Louis’ coming in, so Liam grabs him by the arm and pulls him around the corner, ignoring Louis’ protests. 

“Louis, will you shut up for a minute?” He says in a rush. “I just heard Prince Harry and Lord Zayn talking; you really need to know this.”

Louis scoffs and tries to pull away from Liam. “Liam, let me go! I don’t care!” 

Liam’s not letting go, though, just tightens his grip on Louis’ forearm. “No, Louis, shut up. Listen to me for five seconds.” Louis lets out a huff, but complies, so Liam continues. “Okay, so I went up to Prince Harry’s room to apologize because you have a giant mouth, but he wasn’t there. He was in Zayn’s room.” 

Louis raises his eyebrows at Liam; he seems really excited, and Louis can’t figure out why. He’s really hoping this story isn’t going where he thinks it is. “Liam, I really don’t care if they’re fucking, alright? And, please, for the love of everything, would you stop referring to him as ‘Prince Harry?’”

Liam gasps, scandalized, “Louis! I can’t do that! He’s the prince! And stop talking. You’re distracting me on purpose, aren’t you?” He says, giving Louis as stern of a look he can manage; which basically makes him look like a disgruntled puppy. “The point is that Prince Harry wasn’t spying on you to get rid of you; he’s doing it because he likes you! Like, he has a proper crush on you and wants to court you, not the ladies you so often tease him about.” 

“Hmm, okay, and why do I care? It’s common knowledge that I’m fantastic, I hardly see why this is so important.”

“You’re an idiot,” Liam says; which, true. “Niall and I both know you like him, too. Can’t you just stop acting like a dick for five seconds and admit it? This is important because it means that you can guys can actually, like, be together or something.” 

“I didn’t think it was obvious.” Louis crosses his arms and looks down at the ground, scuffing his boot across the dirt. “And, anyway, it wouldn’t matter. He’s a prince and I’m just a stable boy.” 

Liam sighs and squeezes Louis’ shoulder. “You’ll never know unless you try, mate. I say it’s worth a shot.”

***

When Harry enters his room, it would be an understatement to say he's surprised. Laying on his bed is Louis Tomlinson and he's pretty sure he's sleeping because a good percentage of his dreams start out like this. Except, instead of what usually happens, Louis sits up and says, "You're such an arse," which is definitely not how his dreams start. 

Harry is immediately defensive; his mood is not the best, and he's argued enough with Louis the past few weeks. "Yes, okay, I'm an arse. Can you leave now?" 

"What?" Louis asks and he sounds defeated. "That's not how this is supposed to go. You're supposed to say 'why am I an arse?' and I'm supposed to ramble about how you were an arse. And then I'm supposed to tell you, you're not really an arse, I am, and we kiss and make up. Why aren't you sticking to the script?" 

Harry's pretty sure he's supposed to be answering, but he's still caught on, "We kiss?" 

Louis stands up and walks over to him, a smile playing on his lips. “Yeah, we kiss,” he says a bit sheepishly. “That’s what I was hoping for anyways.”

“I thought you hated me?” Harry says, immensely confused. “Why do you like me, now? Is this a joke?”

“No, it’s not a joke. I’ve always liked you, princess, I just didn’t want to. Everyone loves you, Harry, and I was just. Well, I guess I was jealous, which is stupid, but I liked you and I’m just a stable boy. Why would you notice me or want me out of all the people you could choose from? And I kinda thought you were lazy,” He mumbles while staring at the floor, “It was all really stupid and I’ve already said it; I’m an arse.”

"You do have quite a nice arse, though." 

"Oil! Don't be cheeky. It's very unbecoming, don't you know that? Wow, princess, already your true colors are showing. That's it. I don't think I like you anymore. I've lost my marbles the past five minutes, but I'm regaining sanity." Louis says with mock seriousness. 

Harry's staring at him with a silly smile on his face and he's trying not to giggle. He tugs at Louis' tunic and pulls him close enough so they're sharing each other's breath. "Just kiss me you fool," he says dazedly seconds before Louis joins their lips. 

The kiss starts out a bit hesitant, their lips just ghosting against each other, until Louis takes the initiative and wraps his arms around Harry's neck to pull him in closer. He flicks his tongue out against Harry's bottom lip, asking for entrance Harry gives willingly. 

Soon, Louis has Harry backed up against the wall and is sucking his tongue into his mouth. His hands have drifted up the front of Harry's tunic and his fingers are dancing across the defined muscle he finds there. 

Harry moans into the kiss and is just starting to get his hands under the waistband of Louis' trousers, when the doors suddenly opened and a disheveled Liam makes his way through the door. "Oh my god!" Liam exclaims as he covers his eyes. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea. It's just-- Louis I need your help with something. I'm just gonna wait outside." Liam backs out of the room, hands still over his eyes, and shuts the door behind him. 

Harry lets his head fall back against the door and lets out a little whine. "That was so embarrassing. Oh my god." 

Louis giggles into his neck and leaves a kiss there before pulling back. "It's not that bad. At least we weren't having sex. Yet," he tacks on for good measure. "Well, I guess I must be going." 

Louis detaches himself from Harry and makes it halfway across the room before he's being pulled back against Harry's body. Harry leans down and kisses up neck, then whispers, "You should come out with me tonight, yeah?" 

"Like a date?" Louis asks after clearing his throat. He feels Harry nod against his neck and smiles. "Yeah," he says, then turns his head and catches Harry's lip in a brief kiss. With that, he leaves Harry standing in the middle of his room staring after him. (And if he shakes his arse a little more than normal, well, no one has to know.) 

***

Harry is so nervous. He's never been on a date and he absolutely cannot mess this up. That is, if Louis even shows up. 

He's been sitting in his room for what seems like hours, but has probably only been thirty minutes. As soon as Louis had left earlier, Harry had gone down to the kitchen and talked with his favorite cook. The two of them had decided on a romantic candle light dinner, which seems silly, but he likes Louis and he's nothing if not romantic. 

Their dinner is all set up; a little table in the corner of his bedroom with two candles on it and each of their meals, along with a glass of wine. The sun is setting, now, and that's what has Harry worried. 

Their dinner date was set for nearly a half hour ago, as soon as Louis got off work, and he's still nowhere to be found. Harry's pretty sure he's over reacting, but he's still nervous. He's just about to go searching when the door swings open and Louis walks in. 

"Listen, princess, you would not believe how hard it was to get in here without being seen." Louis turns around and is about to say something else, when he spots the table and snaps his mouth shut. He looks unbearably fond for about five seconds before closing the door and, "We are not having sex tonight." 

Harry definitely was not expecting that and the roar of laughter that escapes his mouth proves it. "I wasn't suggesting we were," he says when he finally contains his laughter. 

Louis raises a skeptical eyebrow, but shrugs and walks over to sit down in the chair next to Harry. "Alright, then. What's for dinner?" 

Of course, Harry dives into a ten minute ramble about how he came up with the idea, how long it took to cook, and who helped him before he even explains what they're eating. "So, basically, it's ham, vegetables from the garden, and homemade mash." He's definitely blushing from head to toe but Louis looks hopelessly endeared, so he figures it's okay. 

"The bottle of wine was a nice touch, princess," Louis says through a ridiculous smile. "Why don't we dig in, then, yeah?" And Harry's so relieved the attentions not directed at him anymore, he basically inhales his potatoes. 

By the time they're through with dinner, both their plates empty except the vegetables Louis refused to eat, they're both pleasantly tipsy and their chairs have made their way to each other. Louis' got his face buried in Harry's neck laughing at some ridiculous joke Harry's just told. He's pretty sure it's a pity laugh, but he's not complaining as long as the beautiful sound of Louis' laugh continues to ring in his ears. 

Louis turns his head slightly to look up at Harry through his lashes, a happy sigh leaving his lips. "This was really great. We should do it again." 

Harry's pretty sure his smile is going to rip his face in half, and he doesn't really mind. "Yeah, I had a lot of fun, too." He's mumbling and blushing again, but Louis' just staring at him and he's so, so beautiful. 

He turns to face Louis and places the gentlest of kisses on his lips. Louis chases Harry's lips as he pulls back, not willing to stop, and who's Harry to deny him anything? They make sure to keep the kiss short and sweet, definitely closed mouth, and they both pull back after a few moments. 

Louis smiles at Harry for a moment before sighing heavily and looking down at his hands. "How are we gonna do this? I wanna be able to be with you, princess, but that's the problem isn't it? You're you and I'm just. Well, me." 

Harry's not sure he could frown harder if he tried. "Louis, shut up. I don't really care what you do or who I am to the world. I like you and I wanna do this. And if you want to as well, then we'll find a way."

"Are you sure?" Louis asks, and bites at his bottom lip. "I mean, I do want this. But are you sure you're willing to do all that for me?" 

"Yes, I'm sure. And don't test me; I'm not afraid to order you. I am the prince after all." 

Louis raises an eyebrow and says, "Yeah, well, we'll see who's in charge later on," before he cuddles into Harry's side the best he can. 

***

Over the next six months, Harry and Louis continue their relationship in private. The only people who are aware of the depth of it are Liam, Niall, and Zayn; although, Harry wouldn't be surprised if Gemma knew because somehow she knows everything. 

In actuality, Harry's pretty sure most of the people in the castle know. He's not very good at hiding his feelings and he always looks ridiculously fond when Louis' name is brought up. 

It doesn't help that he does everything he can to help Louis, from taking part of his workload, moving him and Niall into the castle(which was actually incredibly hard to do), to buying him gifts at the local shops. (He's not stupid. He knows the shop guy never believed he was buying flowers for his mum or clothes for himself that were two sizes too small.) 

Harry's roped Zayn into helping him come up with a surprise for Louis for their sixth months, and he's determined it'll go off without a hitch. There's not really anything to get in the way. Except the small fact that he can't find Louis. 

Usually, this wouldn't be strange. Louis tends to wander off from time to time, never going to far and always coming back by sundown, but today he can't seem to find him anymore. Originally, they were supposed to meet in the garden so they could watch the sunset and look at the stars before Harry told him about his surprise. Now, though, he's wandering the halls looking for him everywhere. 

Eventually, he runs into Niall at the entrance of the castle. "Hey, mate, have you seen Lou? I can't find him anywhere." 

Niall doesn't look surprised and Harry's pretty sure he's not. "Yeah, he's waiting for ya in your chamber. No, I don't want to know. Have a good time." He claps Harry on the shoulder and walks off leaving Harry slightly irritated and a little confused. 

He walks up to his room and finds Louis sitting on the bed looking beautiful as ever. But. That's not the point. He has to focus. "You were supposed to meet me in the garden. Did you forget?" 

Louis looks over to him and smiles shyly, "No, princess. I just wanted to have you to myself for the night. That alright?" And of course Harry can't say no. Well, he can't say anything, really, because he's pretty sure he knows what Louis is talking about. 

They had decided to wait to have sex because they wanted to make sure they were in it for the long run. Granted, they're not fortune tellers and six months isn't really a forever period, but they know enough about each other to know they don't plan on leaving one another any time soon. 

Harry's also pretty sure he's in love with Louis, but he hadn't wanted to say anything until tonight; which makes it all the more unfortunate that Louis ruined his surprise. If Harry's learned anything from being with Louis, though, it's to adapt. 

So that's what he does. Harry walks over to where Louis' sitting and puts his legs on either side of Louis' hips, effectively straddling him. He wraps his arms around Louis' neck and runs his fingers through his hair while pouting down at him. "Yeah, I s'pose that's alright. Just ruined my surprise is all." 

Louis’ hands find their way to Harry’s waist, squeezing briefly, as he bites at Harry’s bottom lip. He tugs gently at it with his teeth before releasing it and pulling back just slightly. “I’m sorry, baby. Let me make it up to you, yeah?” 

Harry hums, mumbles out “maybe,” and leans in to kiss him. Louis’ not having it, though, and he pulls back just before their lips meet, ignoring Harry’s whine of protest.

“Hmmm? Maybe?” Louis says into Harry’s mouth. He licks at his lips and makes sure to swipe his tongue against Harry’s lips as well just so he can revel in the way Harry whimpers and sways forward the tiniest bit. 

Louis keeps it up, licking and biting at Harry’s lips, but moving away every time Harry goes in for a proper kiss. Eventually, though, Harry gets impatient and pushes at Louis’ shoulder until he’s laid out on his back beneath him. He props himself up with his hands on either side of Louis’ face and leans down to kiss him like he’s been wanting to all night. 

The kiss is hot and dirty, their tongues meeting before their mouths. Harry licks his way into Louis' mouth, traces the back of his teeth and the roof of his mouth before massaging his tongue against Louis'. It's not long before Harry's grinding down onto Louis and moaning into his mouth. 

Louis lets his hands drift down to Harry's arse and he palms at it appreciatively, making little noises of approval. Harry detaches his mouth from Louis' and sits up, planting his hands on Louis' chest. "Lou, I want you to fuck me properly." His curls are falling into his face, his pupils are blown, and Louis can feel Harry's cock hardening against his stomach; there's no way he can deny his boy anything. 

Louis nudges at Harry's hips till he gets the point and stands up. He gets up, too, after a moment and stands behind Harry. He snakes his hands underneath Harry's tunic and runs his nails down Harry's torso, making sure his nails catch briefly on Harry's nipples. "Take your clothes off and lie on the bed for me, princess." 

Harry obeys in a hurry, shedding his clothes and laying down in the middle of the bed. Louis looks down at Harry for a bit, letting his eyes roam Harry's body and take everything in, before he undresses as well, and positions himself between Harry's legs, nudging them open a little more. 

"You alright, baby?" Louis asks. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good," Harry says with a little nod. "Just get on with it, yeah? I'll let you know if I'm not alright with anything." 

Louis smiles at Harry and kisses him gently on the lips, then leaves a trail of kisses and nips down his torso. He licks along the indents of Harry's abdomen, nips at his hip bones, and continues downwards, bypassing his hard cock. 

Harry whines above him and thrusts his hips up slightly, always impatient. Louis pinches at the inside of his thigh and looks at him as sternly as he can manage. "Be patient, my love. You'll get what you need. I promise." Harry's not pleased with having to wait, but relents nonetheless and nods. 

Louis makes himself more comfortable between Harry's legs, lying on his stomach and spreading Harry's legs just the slightest bit more to get where he needs to be. "You trust me?" He asks, just to make sure. At Harry's mumbled agreement, Louis leans forward and licks a stripe over Harry's hole. 

As soon as Louis' tongue comes in contact with his skin, Harry whimpers and props himself up on his elbows so he can look down at Louis. Louis' staring up at him, his blue eyes shining in the candle light, and he can feel Louis' tongue circling his hole then flattening out and licking in broad strokes across him. 

Louis brings one of his hands up to Harry's mouth and taps on his lips, moaning against Harry's skin when he sucks Louis' fingers into his mouth. He points his tongue and licks past Harry's tight ring of muscle, licking along his smooth walls and reveling in the whine Harry lets out. 

When Louis starts sucking around his rim, Harry's elbows give out and he falls back against the bed. He's still trying to suck on Louis' fingers, but he's not really doing that much, too caught up in what he's feeling. But Louis' not complaining; his fingers are wet enough anyways.

Louis takes his fingers out of Harry's mouth and brings them down to slide one in alongside his tongue. He wiggles it around a bit before adding a second finger and sucking around the digits. There's a constant string of moans and whines coming from Harry's mouth and Louis wants those sounds played on repeat in his mind forever. 

He slowly works up to three fingers, scissoring them inside Harry, then slowly fucking them in and out. Louis pulls his face back briefly to look at Harry and he's pretty sure he's never seen anything more beautiful. Harry's got a flush from his cheeks to his chest, his eyes are shut tight, his curls are stuck to his face with sweat, and he's got his hands fisted in the sheets. 

"You're so beautiful, princess," Louis tell him because he can't not; he truly is. 

Harry whines and fucks back onto Louis' fingers. Louis crooks his fingers a bit and massages against the fleshy nub he finds there. "Lou, Lou, I'm not gonna--nggh," Harry starts before he breaks off with a moan. 

Louis goes back to licking and sucking around his fingers, keeps his fingers massaging against that spot, until Harry clenches around him and comes with a whine. He works him through it and then sits back on his haunches and just stares down at his boy, waits for him to come back to him. 

After a few moments, Harry blinks his eyes open and smiles at Louis. "'M sorry. I didn't mean to. Just felt so good," he slurs.

Louis just laughs and shakes his head, "No, baby, that was good. I wanted you to come before we had sex. It'll help you stay relaxed." 

"'M pretty relaxed," he says causing Louis to snort. 

"Yeah, I can see that." Louis leans down and licks the come off Harry's abdomen. He swallows a bit, then licks the rest up until he's mostly clean.

Harry's just staring at him dazed, doesn't really get it, till Louis props himself above Harry and licks into his mouth, passing Harry's come between the two of them. He moans into the kiss and licks hungrily at Louis' tongue, reveling in the taste of himself.

When the only thing Harry can taste in Louis' mouth is Louis, he pulls back, breathless. "Fuck," he says dazed. He blinks up at Louis and smiles shyly, "Uhm, I wanna- can I ride you?" 

And Louis' pretty sure he's gonna choke on his tongue. He manages to keep himself collected, and alive somehow, before nodding and rolling to his back, laying beside Harry. Harry's apparently not messing around because as soon as Louis' on his back, Harry's straddling his waist. 

Before he can do anything, though, Louis puts a hand on his chest to stop him. He looks to the bedside table and sees Harry's body oil, so he nods at it and says, "Gotta slick me up, baby. I don't wanna hurt you." 

Harry nods and grabs the bottle. He's a little embarrassed, and Louis doesn't want his boy to be uncomfortable so he takes the bottle from Harry and pours some into Harry's hand. Harry gives him a grateful smile and works the oil over Louis' cock, biting his lip while he does so. Louis' gonna die from arousal, he's sure of it. 

Louis grunts and bucks up into Harry's hand, closes his eyes when Harry thumbs at the head. "Baby, if you want this to last, you gotta get on with it," he says a little apologetically. 

Harry nods and lines himself up with Louis' cock. Slowly, almost too slowly, Harry sinks himself down until their flush against one another. He sits there for a few moments, eyes squeezed shut, until he's accustomed to Louis, and then starts rocking his hips back and forth slightly. 

"Alright?" He mumbles. And of course Harry would make sure Louis' alright, when he's the one who's supposed to be taken care of. 

Louis can't do anything but nod, afraid if he moves he'll start fucking up into Harry. That's seems sufficient, though, because Harry nods and lifts himself up until just the head of Louis' cock is still nestled inside him. He drops himself back down and starts up a rhythm of fucking himself hard and fast on Louis' cock. 

And he's just so beautiful. Louis can't help but stare up at Harry, almost reverent, while he rides him. He can see the way Harry's curls fall into his face, the sweat sliding down his chest, and the way his muscles move with exertion. 

"Fuck, you're so pretty," he whispers and grabs onto Harry's thighs, digs his nails in. Harry moans and plants his hands on Louis' chest for leverage.

After a few minutes, Harry's rhythm starts to falter and he whines, "Louis, I can't. I need--fuck. I need you to do it." 

Louis definitely doesn't waste any time before he's flipping them over and wrapping Harry's legs around his waist. He drives into him hard and fast. One of his hands goes down to hold Harry up by his hip so he can change the angle, the other holding himself up by Harry's face. 

As soon as he changes the angle, Harry cries out and throws his head back. "Fuck, yes, right there, Lou. Please." 

Louis keeps hitting that spot, not faltering in his movements, as he leans down and kisses Harry. The kiss doesn't stay a kiss for long; they're just breathing each other's air and moaning into each other's mouths. 

"Fuck, Harry, you feel so good," Louis says into his mouth. "And you're so beautiful. I just--" he breaks of with a moan and pulls back enough to look Harry in the eyes. "I love you, baby. " 

Harry was not expecting that, but he's definitely not complaining if the way he clenches around Louis and comes again is anything to go by. He throws his head back, squeezes his eyes shut, and let's his mouth fall open on a silent moan. 

And Louis just can't. Harry's so hot and tight around him that he follows right after Harry and comes inside him, biting down on Harry's shoulder to stifle his moan. He fucks them both through it, then flips down on his back next to Harry, exhaling shakily. 

Harry cuddles into Louis' side and lays his head on Louis' chest, traces designs absently across his torso. Finally, after what seems like ages, he says, "Did you mean it?" 

Louis has never said yes so fast in his life. "Yes, baby, of course I did." He wraps his arms around Harry, effectively trapping him against his body. "I do love you, princess. So much." 

"Okay, good. 'Cause I love you, too." Harry places a kisses to Louis' chest, his neck, then finally turns his head enough to kiss Louis on the lips. 

"You think this could actually work?" Louis asks as he runs his fingers through Harry's hair. 

"Yeah, I really do. I've thought about it, y'know? I don't really want to be a king, anyways. Gemma's more fit to be queen than I ever would be, so I don't see why she can't just do it. And my mom loves you. I don't think she'd have a problem with this, no matter your position." 

"You sure, baby? I don't want you to give up your crown for me."

"Lou, I'd be a fool to let that get in the way. I don't really want the crown, or the kingdom. As long as I have you, that's all I need."

**Author's Note:**

> WHAT AM I DOING?
> 
> [erikabearikuh](http://erikabearikuh.tumblr.com) on tumblr.   
> Thanks for reading =+]


End file.
